Standalone Pages

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Penn State's "measured" approach suggests NFL route

Penn State interim Athletic Director has issued the following statement regarding the search to replace Joe Paterno as head coach:

"As we head into the holidays, I wanted to share an update on the search for the next head football coach at Penn State. We are continuing to talk with individuals that we're interested in and work through the interview process. As I'm sure all can appreciate, this is a very important hire for Penn State and, as a result, the search committee is taking a very deliberate and measured approach to the process in order to identify the coach that best fits the requirements of the position.

"We look forward to introducing our new football coach at the appropriate time. In the interim, I'd like to wish everyone happy holidays as well as remind all Penn Staters to support our team and its 23 seniors as they compete against the 12-1 Houston Cougars in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on January 2nd."

The school is clearly in no hurry to name the coach who will walk into the most difficult coaching job since Ray Perkins replaced Paul Bryant at Alabama. And the "deliberate" nature of the search indicates that the school is likely leaning heavily towards drawing someone from the NFL rather than the college ranks.

Penn State remains the only FBS school with an open head coaching position.